Indigenous Medical Wisdom: A Case Study of Rung Community of Kumaun Himalayas

The present conducted work is an effort for documentation and analyzing the indigenous wisdom of the Rung Shauka community residing the higher valleys of Pithoragarh district in Kumaun Himalayas. This research has been conducted in the remote villages situated in high-altitude region. The primary methodological tools used for gaining insights into the indigenous wisdom of Rung community are ethnographic in nature, including interviews, participant observations and in-depth field surveys. The findings of this study reveals that the healthcare practices of these people are deeply inter-woven with their cultural and spiritual beliefs, with diverse range of local medicinal plants, spiritual healing rituals, and sustainable practices. This research finally tries to highlight the importance of preserving such traditional knowledge systems (TKS) by providing useful insights for integration of indigenous and modern medical practices for improving healthcare outcomes in remote and marginalized areas.